Sound quality is quite close to the wired connection, there is a loss in technicalities and refinement plus a touch of edginess to the sound but still very good. Sound fading over time is quite natural, leaning towards the faster side of things rather than relaxed but still very convincing.

TOPPING EX5 DAC/Amp All-in-one Reviews - SHENZHENAUDIO TOPPING EX5 DAC/Amp All-in-one Reviews - SHENZHENAUDIO

Shenzhen audio on the other hand is one of Topping’s largest distributors. They are an online retailer that can ship to all corners of the globe. I’ve already brought up the 3XP and the Bifrost and covered the differences between those and the DX5. The DX5 excels in everything except for weight/build quality/finding the software to install. That’s really good against these competitors. Oh, and it has MQA unfold if that’s your thing (I like it.) The only other DAC/AMP I’ve tried that even comes close to the DX5 at this price is the ifi Micro iDSD Signature. It costs more, but is portable, has a battery, and has a bunch of other features like bass boost and IEM settings in addition to MQA unfold. It’s the only thing I would rate higher than the DX5 in this price range, but it still costs a few hundred more. At this price, I don’t think you can do better, even with other Chinese DAC/AMPs like SMSL, xDuoo, and FIIO (I couldn’t even get the K9 Pro ESS to work.) The next step above this might be from Mytek, Matrix, or Questyle – but they cost a LOT. I first measured the voltage with my multimeter. I was astonished that it shows -12.3V and thought maybe I got a faulty device. Then I tried to analyze the circuit and found my measurements was not wrong. They intentionally did that.regarding the jitter measurements, amir/wolf's measurements also show it has a less ideal jitter performance, especially compared to their d10B, and is mentioned in my review as well.

Topping EX5 Review | Super Best Audio Friends My Topping EX5 Review | Super Best Audio Friends

As said above the headphone amplifier is not balanced so you are effectively listening to one phase of the signal.Gear used​S.M.S.L. SU/SH-8S, Lotto PAW S1, Moondrop Blessing 2, THIEAUDIO Clairvoyance, Moondrop Variations, Dethonray Tender 1, Sennheiser HD560S. Not as visceral and full sounding nor intensely impactful as some other more sophisticated DACs of the category, like the Schiit Bifrost, but still very, very good. With the wireless Hi-Res branding on the EX5, it features the latest hi-res codecs including aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC, as well as the standard protocols such as SBC and AAC. This means that the EX5’s Bluetooth connection tops out at 32bit/96kHz.